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SUMMARY:Inaugural Lecture: 'The Power of Language: Literacy\, (mis)communi
 cation and oppression in literature for young readers' - Professor Maria N
 ikolajeva - Faculty of Education\, Cambridge
DTSTART:20090429T160000Z
DTEND:20090429T173000Z
UID:TALK17731@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Susannah Lacon
DESCRIPTION:In literature for young readers\, language is frequently used 
 as an instrument of power\, both in communication between the implied auth
 or (adult) and the implied reader (child)\, and in communication between f
 ictive characters. In the latter case\, communication between adult and ch
 ild characters can be employed to educate\, socialize and oppress the chil
 d. This specific function of language reflects the insurmountable dilemma 
 of any children’s writer\, the tension between the striving to educate t
 he child and the wish to take the child’s side. The unequal power hierar
 chies\, especially tangible in children’s literature\, affect the use of
  language in texts for young readers. The way literacy is portrayed in chi
 ldren’s books reveals the historical and educational context\, the view 
 of the child and childhood\, and the individual author’s power position.
  In the lecture\, that adheres to my current research on power and alterit
 y in literature for young readers\, I will investigate language as a power
  vehicle in some famous children’s novels\, including Lewis Carroll’s 
 Alice in Wonderland\, A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh\, Norton Juster’s 
 The Phantom Tollbooth\, and Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking. \n\nPr
 ofessor Nikolajeva is a leading scholar in children's literature. Her acad
 emic honours include a Fulbright Grant and a research fellowship at the In
 ternational Youth Library\, Munich. In 2005 she received the International
  Brothers Grimm Award for a lifetime achievement in children's literature 
 research and has recently been awarded the 2009 Distinguished Scholarship 
 Award by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts.\n
LOCATION:Auditorium\, Mary Allen Building\, Faculty of Education\, 184 Hil
 ls Road\, Cambridge\, CB2 8PQ
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